Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-06-17
NATIONAL ENCAMPMENT.
Rev. DR.. T. Dewitt Talmages Stirring
Address

and lefrltOrleS Ill camp
Drilled Soldicry Superior to the un-
drilled.
WASHINGTON, May 29.-Soldiers OF the
national drill listened this afternoon to
sermon by the Rev. Z. Dewitt Talmaee,
d. d. Soldiers from thirty-one States
and Territories were present, and nineteen
Governors and their statfs. Washington is
full of strangers attendant upon the ma
tonal drill, having for its object improve
ment in military science, which began May
% and will close tomorrow. The music
before and after the sermon this afternoon
was conducted by military bands. DR..
Talmage's texts were taken from l Chron-
icles xii, 80: "Fifty thousand which could
keep rank" and Judges xx, 1G: every
one could sling stones Mt hair breadth
and not miss" The preacher said:
companies of infantry, cavalry, artillery,
and Zouaves, please notice the first Scrip.
ture passage applauds the soldiers OF
\ Zebulun because they We're disciplined
troops. They may have been inefficient
J at the start and laughed at by old soldiers
! because they seemed SO clumsy in the line,
keep step as one man. FIFTY thousand
Which could keep rank" The second
/ Scripture passage applauds regiment OF
singers in the tribe of Benjamin because
they are dexterous marksmen. When they
first enlisted they may have been an awk-
ward squad and all their fingers were
thumbs, but they practiced until when they
aimed at a mark they always hit it. Every
one could sling stones at hair breadth
and not miss" Both texts combining to
show us that if we must fight we should do
it we'll.
There is something absorbing in the mill
tarv science of the Bible. In olden times
all the men between 20 and so years of age
We're enrolled in the army, and then a levy
was made for a special service. There
those who had built house and had not
occupied it; those who had planted a garden
and had not reaped the fruit of it; those
who were engaged to be married and yet
had not led the bride TO the altar; those
who were yet in the first year of welded
life; those who were so nervous that they
could not look upon an enemy but they
fed, and could not look upon blood but
they tainted.
The army was in three divisions-the
center and right and left wings. The
weapons of defense were helmet, shield,
breastplate, buckler. The weapons Of
otfense were sword, spear, javelin, arrow,
catapult-which was merely a bow swung
ny LudCuluely, aiiOWS III NttSI us
tances, great arrows, one arrow as large as
several men could lift, and ballista, which
was sling swung by machinery, hurting
great rocks and large pieces of lead to vast
distances. The shields were made of
woven willow work with three thicknesses
of hide and a loop inside through which
the arm of the warrior might be thrust; and
when these soldiers were marching to at
tack an enemy on the level all these shields
touched each other, making wall moving
but impenetrable; and then when they at
tackled fortress and tried to capture bat
Element this shield was lifted over the head
so as to resist the falling missiles. The
breastplate was made of two pieces of
leather, brass-covered, one piece falling
over the breast, the other falling over the
back. At the side of the warrior the two
pieces fastened with buttons or clasps.
The bows were so stout and stiff and
strong that warriors often challenged each
other to bend one. The strings Of the bow
were made from the sinews of oxen. A
case like an inverted pyramid was fastened
to the back, that case containing the ar
rows, SO that when the warrior wanted to
use an arrow he would put his arm over his
shoulder and pull forth the arrow for the
fight. The ankle of the foot had an iron
boot. When wall was to be assaulted a
battering ram was brought up. A batter
ing ram was great beam swung on chains
be brought close up to the wall and then a
great number of men would take hold of
this beam, push it back as far as they could
and then let go, and the beam became a
great swinging pendulum of destruction.
Twenty or forty men would stand in a
movable tower on the back of an elephant,
the elephant made drunk with wine and
then headed toward the enemy, and what
with the heavy feet and the swinging pro-
boscis and poisoned arrows shot from the
movable tower, the destruction was appal-
ling. War chariots were in vogue, and
they were on two wheels, so they could
easily turn. A sword was fastened to the
pole between the horses, so when they went
ahead the sword thrust, and when thew
turned around it would NOW down. The
armies carried flags beautifully embroid-
/ cred. Tribe of Judah carried flag en-
broidered with lion; tribe of Reuben, en-
| broidered with man: tribe of Dan, en-
broidered with cherubim. The noise of
the hosts as they moved on was overwhelm-
ing. What withth clatter of shields and
the rumbling of wheels and the shouts of
the captains and the vociferation of the en-.
tire host, the prophet says it is like the
roaring of the sea. Because the arts of
war nave Deen advancing all these wears
you are not to conclude that these armies
of olden times We're or uncomfortable mob
! could quote you four or five passages of
Scripture showing you that they we're
thoroughly drilled; they marched step to
step, shoulder to shoulder, or as my texts
express it., they were Fifty thousand which
could keep rank" and every one could
sling stones at hair breadth and NOT
miss"
Nothing could be more important than
this great National Encampment. I'm
drilled troops can never stand before those
which are drilled. At a time when other
nations are giving such care to military
!actlcs, 1t 6ehooyes this nation to lack moth.
ing in skill. We shall never have another
war between the north and south. The old
decayed bone of contention, African
slavery, has been cast out, although here
and there depraved politician takes il up
10 see II ne can gnaw something off of ii.
We are floating OFF further and further
from the possibility of sectional strife. bnt
about foreign invasion l am not so sure.
There IS absolutely no room on this cont.
nent for any other nation. have been
across the country again and again, and
know that we have not half an inch of
ground for the equity foot of foreign des-
Potlsm TO stand on. l do not know but
that half dozen nations, envious of onr
prosperity, may want to give US q wrestle.
I Ap1r yDNFr H1yw 1,,-,1